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The vast majority of people didn’t even notice, but the cometa Leonard is visible in the sky over Rio in recent days. With the naked eye, it’s almost impossible to see, but with binoculars, spyglasses or a good photographic lens, the comet and its tail appear. This Tuesday (21), a photographer from Rio got ready to try to click Leonard and Christ the Redeemer in the same photo – and he succeeded.
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To the g1, Marcello Cavalcanti said that he made the time and angle calculations, and that he realized that, from Mirante Dona Marta, in Botafogo, around 8 pm, he would be able to frame the monument and the comet.
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“The ideal is to get out of the city to photograph or see with the naked eye, but in very dark places, like Região Serrana, Região dos Lagos. But, with professional equipment and knowing how to locate the comet in the sky, you can photograph even in places lit up with Rio de Janeiro (…) Today I planned to come here to Mirante Dona Marta to try to photograph it passing close to Christ. It’s a very difficult plan, very detailed,” explained the photographer.
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Comet Leonard in another click — Photo: Marcello Cavalcanti
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The star, dubbed by some means the “Christmas comet”, was discovered in January of this year, when it was between Mars and Jupiter, and NASA scientists traced the orbit it is following towards the Sun.
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Leonard can be seen with the naked eye in Latin American countries, according to weather conditions.
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Named C/2021 A1, the comet discovered by Gregory J. Leonard (hence its name) was first seen “as a faint spot” in early 2021, when it passed through Mars’ orbit.
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Subsequent observations and analysis showed scientists that it was a comet with a long period of orbit, around 80,000 years—so its appearance near Earth is an exceptional spectacle.
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Comet Leonard after passing close to the Christ — Photo: Marcello Cavalcanti
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NASA tool shows Leonard (white) at his closest point to Earth (blue) on December 12 — Photo: NASA
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On December 12, Leonard was at his closest point on Earth’s trajectory, nearly 35 million kilometers away. Due to the position, the best view was in the northern hemisphere.
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In the second half of December, it reversed its position from north to south, according to NASA. In Brazil and other countries in South America, the forecast is that it will be seen near the west line of the horizon.
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After reaching his perihelion, the closest point to the Sun in its orbit, Leonard will return to the depths of space on a journey of thousands of years.
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